2014 NFL Week 12 - Dolphins vs. Broncos Betting Odds Preview

Denver and Miami face off in the Mile High City on Sunday afternoon. The Broncos had been playing extremely well heading into their week 11 matchup with the Rams. They had been 7-2 and been dominant for most of the season. That is what makes it so surprising that they were basically beat up by the Rams for the entire game in the Rams 22-7 surprising victory last week. Peyton Manning was 34/54 for 389 yards but only one touchdown and he threw 2 interceptions. The Broncos got virtually nothing out of their running game as leading rusher C.J Anderson had 9 carries for 29 yards. They also suffered numerous injuries to guys like Montee Ball who had just returned from missing several weeks to play only briefly in the first quarter and not return again. Tight End Julius Thomas also missed a significant portion of the game as well as wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. The health of all 3 players is questionable heading into this game. The rams were able to stop the Broncos on fourth down deep in Saint Louis territory not only once but twice in the second half. The Dolphins used a big second half to overcome the Bills in their 22-9 win last week. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was able to shake off getting sacked 5 times to go 26/34 for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Lamar Miller looked healthy for the first time in weeks as he carried 15 times for 86 yards. The Dolphins trailed 9-3 before going on an 19-0 run over the games final 18 minutes. They are now 6-4 an attempting to get back into the playoffs.

The Broncos are not accustomed to coming off of defeats and they are now coming off their second defeat in three weeks. The two losses have a combined score of 65-28 and while it is far from time to panic, perhaps there is some room for concern. They have played three consecutive road games, which is a rarity in the NFL and may be part of the problem. The health of receiver Sanders and Thomas will be important, as both have been popular targets for Manning lately. The loss of Ball is not as significant because he was unproductive prior to getting injured in the first place. Over the last two losses the team has rushed for 43 and 28 yards respectfully.

The Dolphins will no doubt study what the Rams did to Manning and do their best to make history repeat itself. If they can find a way to get pressure on Manning it will give some much needed relief to the teams secondary. Expect the Dolphins to look to get Miller the ball on the ground often as possible to keep the clock moving and the ball out of Manning’s hands. Tannehill is also capable of extending plays with his legs and has rushed for 261 yards this season. He has completed over 70% of his passes 5 times this season and will need to make it 6 in order to get past a tough Denver team.